# Plume and Mold



## Puffy69 (Sep 8, 2005)

I noticed recently that guys are getting their mold and plume mixed up..The only way i can describe it, is that mold is fuzzy and hairy and you have to wipe or dust it off a cigar and plume is crystals, like chunks sea salt if you will which is usually found when it appears in spots of a cigar. You can actually pluck it off your cigar which you cant with mold because its soft..Some well aged 20 plus years cigars, the plume looks like a dusting covering the whole cigar like in picture #4. Some mistake a discoloration in the cigar wrapper or bumps in the wrapper as plume. Ive never seen plume on a cigar thats young or a box thats opened much.. IMO Plume is actually a rare and uncommon because of the conditions your storage has to be in order for it to happen without disturbing the cigars for a number of years which most of dont do..From what i understand Higher humidity will cause a cigar to plume quicker but unevenly and you risk mold. Theres a fine line. Which I think explains picture #3..Now I could be totally wrong on my take on Plume because by all means, im no expert but I hope this clears up some misunderstandings..tell my what you guys think..

*This is Mold*









*Mixed Plume and mold*









*This is straight up Plume*









*Well aged 20+yrs Cigars..Plumed IMO*


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## kvm (Sep 7, 2005)

From the pic I would have thought the Partagas had mold. Love the last pic.


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## dunng (Jul 14, 2006)

Is this a dup thread?


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## 68TriShield (May 15, 2006)

Freddie if not sure about the moldy ones i can "inspect" them for you...


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## rumballs (Mar 15, 2005)

more here:
http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=49264


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## Gargamel (Nov 8, 2004)

Those Partys are molded. Plume is a sheen not spotty.


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## burninator (Jul 11, 2006)

What FdC's are those in the second pic? :dr


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## volfan (Jul 15, 2006)

Excellent post Freddy and one other thing is that a lot of folks think they have plume because they see some small reflections or sparkes when they turn the cigar. While that is indicative of plume it is also very indicative of flaking metallic gold paint off of some of the bands. I have seen this on old and new cigars and both CCs and NCs. My point is, if you see sparkle it is not necessarily plume but it could be.

scottie


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## carni (Jan 18, 2007)

great pics and good info. thnx


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## drawfour (Aug 22, 2006)

Those partagas definitely have mold. The spots are way too clumped and large.


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## moki (Jan 12, 2004)

What you've posted here is actually quite wrong. The first 3 pictures are all 100% mold. The last picture, I'd like to inspect them in person before making a determination.


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## smokin' machinist (Sep 23, 2006)

Great post Freddie. I am still a newb, but agree with you on the 4th pic. That cannot be mold, they look tasty. Thanks.


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## C.A.O Brazilia (Dec 12, 2006)

What can you do to make shure that it dont grow mold on your sticks?
I got a humidor cabinet wit 2 moist elements and 1 Cigaroasis+.
I keep the humidity between 65 and 68. Is this safe??

I wont allow a mold colony to take over my babies:gn


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## drawfour (Aug 22, 2006)

65-68% is a good humidity level. When it gets above 70 is generally when you need to be more careful.


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## Puffy69 (Sep 8, 2005)

C.A.O Brazilia said:


> What can you do to make shure that it dont grow mold on your sticks?
> I got a humidor cabinet wit 2 moist elements and 1 Cigaroasis+.
> *I keep the humidity between 65 and 68*. Is this safe??
> 
> I wont allow a mold colony to take over my babies:gn


yes good humidity for smoking


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## jbock (Feb 22, 2007)

I gotta agree with several posters on here. The first three pics are definitely all mold and no plume. 

Makes me sad to see Partagas go the way of the mold. Walked into a local shop about 3 months ago and was disgusted to see them selling an entire box of Partagas that were absolutely covered in mold. The idiot working there tried to pass them off as plume. We are talking these things were covered from foot to cap. It was nasty. They looked like a bad loaf of bread.

I walked out of there empty handed.


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## limdull (May 6, 2007)

im not very smart but i agree that the first 3 look alot more like mold than plume


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## JCK (Nov 9, 2006)

I just took some photos of some Davi #1s that have been pretty much untouched in their cardboard 5-packs until recently. You can see what I think is scattered plume in these photos. The contrast and brightness were adjusted slightly in the photos to make the spots more readily visible.


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## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

I'm going to go with mold without a question on the first three, and bloom on the fourth.


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## sonick (Jan 30, 2007)

Plumed Davidoff Demi-Tasse on a flatbed scanner:

(see question-cigars/Plume thread (page 2) for picture origin and process of assuring it's not mold)

The bright light blasted through most of the very fine dusting over the entire wrapper, but the concentrations came out great.

Warning: 1.8 Megabyte .jpg file (800 dpi)
http://www.sonick.com/clubstogie/davidoff-demitasse-bunch-large.jpg


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## sonick (Jan 30, 2007)

khubli said:


> I just took some photos of some Davi #1s that have been pretty much untouched in their cardboard 5-packs until recently. You can see what I think is scattered plume in these photos. The contrast and brightness were adjusted slightly in the photos to make the spots more readily visible.


Definetely some plumin' Davidoffs you've got there.........

Just like the Demi-Tasse in my photo, you can see on your photo how the plume concentrations tend to follow veins and depressions (makes sense, would have a dam effect on oils)...... definetely a tell-tale sign, mold would never do that, it grows concentric over all real estate.

I don't know about the #1, but these plumey Demi-Tasse taste like heaven....


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## Puffy69 (Sep 8, 2005)

you guys are right..the first 3 have mold..should have put the straight up plume on the last pic..but the 2nd one that says mixed did have plume on it but also mold.the box was sealed and just good to see that they werent ruined..hard to see with the mold sticking out like a sore thumb..all is clean and cigars are doing well. the last pic is what a plumed cigar looks like..no question.


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## Tidefan73 (May 11, 2007)

Is it me or does the fourth pictured look like dust? I've never seen plume and by no means trying to say that I know what it is, but to me...IMHO, it looks like dust. Is that what plume looks like? If so, I have a box of Montie #2s that look just like that!!!


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## MeNimbus (Dec 18, 2006)

Looks like mold to me. I have yet to see plume


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## Puffy69 (Sep 8, 2005)

:r the 4th pic is definitely plume..those cigars are from the early 80's and no dust or mold..it is very unlikely to see plumed cigars on young cigars just in case some of you think your seeing plume most likely is mold..ive only seen plume on old cigars from the 70's and 80's.


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## tchariya (Feb 26, 2007)

i've got some 3 week old bread with some neat greenish dust on it. Sorry I dont have a camera, but I was wondering...can bread display plume qualities? 

Just teasin! I'm having one of those hectic days at work and needed to cut loose with some bad humor.


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## splattttttt (May 17, 2012)

I got all exited today when I opened my humi.
I admit to being constantly opening container on an almost daily basis, because I have to look to see what I want to smoke.
This box was probably opened about five days ago and I didn't notice it then. But there it is.


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## Slowpokebill (Nov 29, 2008)

Jack wipe the mold off and it will be fine


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## splattttttt (May 17, 2012)

Slowpokebill said:


> Jack wipe the mold off and it will be fine


Checked it under a magnifying lens. Definitely not mold ( :

Hard to tell from the picture, but in person under the lens, it looks like slivers of glass. No green/blueish fuzziness lol


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

splattttttt said:


> Checked it under a magnifying lens. Definitely not mold ( :
> 
> Hard to tell from the picture, but in person under the lens, it looks like slivers of glass. No green/blueish fuzziness lol


Sorry to say but I don't think it is plume either. The second band on the top cigar is covered with it and plume won't be on the bands like that. :noidea:

BTW nice thread bump. This one is a great learning tool. :tu


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## Slowpokebill (Nov 29, 2008)

Mold likes cellulose. Paper is cellulose. You don't get plume on the bands.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

If it was not there 5 days ago it cannot be plume, it takes years to form generally, in a very stable environment.

I see even the OP got it wrong in one case (either that or he was pulling their legs).


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## Shemp75 (May 26, 2012)

Get your "Plume in 5 days" spray right here!! get it while its hot! Special offer buy 4 units at $39.95 and get the 5th unit free!!


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## splattttttt (May 17, 2012)

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'll keep on eye on this. Gonna check the hygrometer too to make sure it's cued properly. This box has never seen rh measuring higher than 65%. Why I didn't suspect mold.


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## Cigar Guru (Dec 22, 2012)

Sorry fellas. But I believe that Plume is a lot rarer than what we want it to be. The white stuff that most of us consider as Plume is actually white mold.

Plume is crystallized oils left from aging. It will brush off very easily.

Most of the time, the white stuff on our cigars do not brush off easily. They're a bit sticky/velvety. That's white mold.

Not to worry though. All you need to do is separate the culprits. Clean your humidor. Notice I say clean, not disinfect. You wouldn't wan't to ruin your humie.

As for the affected sticks. They certainly can still be smoked. A little white mold won't kill us.

Alternatively, you can clean those too. But store them separately to prevent spreading.


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

The only cigars I have ever seen with plume on them were at least 20 years old and had rested almost untouched for that time.


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## splattttttt (May 17, 2012)

@ Cigar Guru... After reading your comment, I went and brushed it off. Came clean with just a few swipes.
I did move it to a box for quarantine though. I'm thinking of just letting it sit there to see if the shiny dust comes back.

In the mean time, I will for research sake, let the other box remain as is. Yeah... The gars in there will be sacrificed for this test.


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## Cigar Guru (Dec 22, 2012)

did you get a chance to feel the residue with your fingers? It should feel like powdered sugar without the stickiness. One swipe should have been more than enough to remove it if it was plume. I wonder, was there any stickiness or remaining white strands after your first swipe? If there was, its white mold.

Also, plume tends to form patterns. Kinda reminds me of lightning patterns.

Did you clean you clean your humidor? Alternatively, you can let it dry out. Mold can't grow in a dry environment. Then just re season it after.

Good thing that you separated the questionable sticks. You can still enjoy them though. Even if it turns out to be mold. All the better if its plume.

Good luck.


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## splattttttt (May 17, 2012)

No, I didn't think of checking to see what it felt like between my finger tips. But I didn't ever notice any stickiness either.
The cigar is in quarantine and looks immaculate. Nice sheen and toothier than I remember when it was new from about ten months ago.
I'll be coming back here if I notice any progression.


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## Cigar Guru (Dec 22, 2012)

That's great news then. Usually, molds will grow back in a couple of days. Especially if we didn't remove all the colonies.

Maybe We were wrong. If your samples truly are plume. Then it would appear that it can be on labels. However, this would be a first.

If its not mold and not plume, I still say this because it does not seem to look the same as all the cigars I've seen with actual plume, Perhaps it is something else.


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## splattttttt (May 17, 2012)

Cigar Guru said:


> That's great news then. Usually, molds will grow back in a couple of days. Especially if we didn't remove all the colonies.
> 
> Maybe We were wrong. If your samples truly are plume. Then it would appear that it can be on labels. However, this would be a first.
> 
> If its not mold and not plume, I still say this because it does not seem to look the same as all the cigars I've seen with actual plume, Perhaps it is something else.


wishful hope wants it to be plume lol. The stick is still spotless after being wiped clean.
Cigar Guru, in case you missed my comment from earlier on... The residue looked like ice crystals while under a magnifying glass. And not hairs of fuzz; similar to wool fiber. The scent was/is yummy.


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## sh40218 (Oct 26, 2012)

I've only seen mold on a cigar once, a small white/blue patch on the foot only. Other than that I've seen plume regularly on cigars, most always on Tubos. En Tubos cigars are nearly sealed and wrapped in a cedar sleeve that promotes aging. Looking at the plume it's small, white, powdery/crystalline dots that cover the entire wrapper of the cigar. It shouldn't be on the band, but around the band where some adhesive may be showing is common for plume to form there. Also it should brush right off with your finger and not stain/discolor the wrapper underneath the dots of plume.

I hope this helps and other people can learn more about this odd phenomenon.


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## splattttttt (May 17, 2012)

Spencer, it's possible I'm experiencing mold, though as you said... There was no evidence of colored spots or any of it on the foot.
This just may very well be a phenomena, considering the rapid growth of what looked like crystal deposits on the top side of where it laid. Some; very little of the same was also noted on the couple sticks next to it.
It did brush off cleanly and in the two days since the discovery, no changes are present.
We will get to the bottom of this. The one stick that I posted a picture of has been in a separate humidor by it self. The others are still in the same box I found it in.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

sh40218 said:


> I've only seen mold on a cigar once, a small white/blue patch on the foot only. Other than that I've seen plume regularly on cigars, most always on Tubos. En Tubos cigars are nearly sealed and wrapped in a cedar sleeve that promotes aging.


Ummm....Tubos with cedar wraps are well known for promoting mould, not aged plume. Dig a lot further & you will find that most examples of plume/bloom are found on non tubos, well aged & stored in a constant environment. I was about to say that you probably saw most these "plumed" cigars in a B&M was my guess then I saw your signature and did a double take. Enough said.


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## splattttttt (May 17, 2012)

I did like how Spencer just comes out and comments on how he practically lives in plume ( :
Spencer, I know plume is difficult to portray in pictures... But I would love it if you had some you might like to add to this thread.


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## smokin surfer (Jul 21, 2012)

I must say that I was very excited to more closely examine a few Camacho Triple Maduros I have resting in one humi, as the dark wrapper glistens under the light with sparkling specks of what appears to be a very fine dust, and has no properties of mold whatsoever. 

I then realized that the cigar band on these triple maddys is a shiny metallic silver and the paint is probably flaking off and is resting on the wrapper. I'm about to smoke one- sure hope that paint doesn't kill me! I doubt that I will ever let a cigar rest undisturbed long enough to accumulate any plume on my collection anyways. :lol:


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

splattttttt said:


> I did like how Spencer just comes out and comments on how he practically lives in plume ( :
> Spencer, I know plume is difficult to portray in pictures... But I would love it if you had some you might like to add to this thread.


I'd be curious too and would bet a 2004 opus x that Spencer's plume is mold


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## splattttttt (May 17, 2012)

scottw said:


> I'd be curious too and would bet a 2004 opus x that Spencer's plume is mold


Scott, how can you assume that to be the case, with out seeing his collection in person?


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

Pretty simple Jack. He has been smoking for two years and his favorite blends listed dont have tremendous longevity thus leaving me to believe that his collection is not old enough to have developed plume of any kind. Not trying to be a dick......just using the information on hand to form an opinion.


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## splattttttt (May 17, 2012)

scottw said:


> Pretty simple Jack. He has been smoking for two years and his favorite blends listed dont have tremendous longevity thus leaving me to believe that his collection is not old enough to have developed plume of any kind. Not trying to be a dick......just using the information on hand to form an opinion.


Fair enogh Scott. I value your opinion, so thanks.


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## Cigar Guru (Dec 22, 2012)

Light the damn thing already and tell us how great/or not so great it smokes!!! LOL Happy New Year Fellas.


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## tntclip (Oct 14, 2012)

plume wipes off easily,the first pics look like mold to me


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